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5 Love Lessons from 'Downton Abbey'

The hit show is back tonight! Here's what we learned about love from Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley.

Finally, the wait is over for the return of Masterpiece Classic's Downtown Abbey! The British-American period drama, created by Julian Fellows, will premiere it’s third season tonighton PBS. Though the upcoming season has already aired in the U.K, where the show is #1, we Americans have been waiting almost an entire year to see what the future holds for Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), closing our eyes and ears to avoid spoiler hell on the internet and Facebook. (Don't worry, no spoilers here!)

Downton Abbey is PBS's most popular show to date, and it's not hard to figure out why: beyond the picturesque cinematography, stellar cast, ornate costumes, and enchanting theme song, this Edwardian romance series tugs at the heartstrings of romantics around the globe in a way that no television show in recent memory ever has.

The series centers around the lives of an aristocratic family, the Crawley's, and the dedicated servants that run the large castle-like country home, valiantly trying to keep the lives and honor of the Crawleys in-tact through World War I and beyond, all while navigating through love triangles of their own.

While the show features many triumphs and tragedies for fan-favorite couples like Anna and Mr. Bates, Cybil and Branson, Lord Grantham and Lady Cora, fans of this romance thriller can all learn something from the heart of the show: the delicate, undying romance between Lady Mary and Cousin Matthew.

In the very first episode, we learned of the Crawley's desperate need for a male heir so that the they can maintain ownership of their grand estate. This need focused the show on finding a suitor for the Crawley's eldest daughter, Lady Mary — a stubborn, outspoken beauty with lips of the reddest rose, skin of porcelain and hair of finely-woven silk. Enter cousin Matthew Crawley, the stunning and valiant blue eyed, ashy-haired middle class lawyer who can save the day for Lady Mary and her family — if he marries her. The trouble is, does he want to? Does she want to?

After two seasons of gut-wrenching maybe-they-will, maybe-the-won't get together drama, Lady Mary and Cousin Matthew finally profess their love for each other and plan to marry. Whether they will live happily ever after in season three remains to be seen, but there are important lessons in love we can all learn from this couple's romantic history:

1. Time is precious, don't waste it! Most of the drama between Lady Mary and Cousin Matthew could have been avoided if either one of these two said three simple words as soon as they felt them to be true: I love you. Instead, for two seasons we watched these two stubborn, reserved individuals go through love and war — ilterally — together and apart, with our heart in knots. Though they finally confessed their love for each other, other couples aren’t so lucky and never get the chance. If you love someone, tell them while you can — because there may come a time when it is too late. Keep reading ...

1. Britt's makeup

Where does this girl get her makeup that she can cry that much and still look that annoyingly good?

David Moir/ABC

2. Carly is kind of mean!

Carly was one of my favorites, but she kind of came off as a bully on the Women Tell All. Don't get me wrong ... I still think she's hilarious.

Richard Carlson/ABC

3. Britt still seems like she's lying.

There's something about her … that's just not trustworthy. The fact that she's an actress doesn't help. She seems to be a really good one. Also, her tears stop too immediately to be real.

David Moir/ABC

4. Kelsey is still the worst.

She still can't comprehend why she sucks. I thought that she would actually come off as a real human being on the live show, but she still came off as an a*shole. I guess even editing can't be to blame for Kelsey.

David Moir/ABC

5. Juelia shut Kelsey down.

... And it was perfection. We didn't hear from her really all season and she killed it on the reunion.

Rick Rowell/ABC

6. Ashley I. is also kind of awesome.

She literally does not care what anyone thinks about her, and while she seemed catty on the show, it takes a lot to say exactly how you feel.

David Moir/ABC

7. Ashley S. is super weird IRL.

She's kind of hilarious though. Apparently she now grows onions … in Brooklyn.

David Moir/ABC

8. Ashley S. on Bachelor in Paradise!

Please God, let this happen … immediately.

David Moir/ABC

9. Kaitlyn had no jokes.

For the first time … Kaitlyn had nothing snarky to say. That interview pretty much solidified her for the next Bachelorette.

David Moir/ABC

10. Chris made it through a sentence!

For the first time all season…

David Moir/ABC

11. Chris' laugh sounds like a dolphin.

We knew it was annoying, but now we know Chris' doppelgänger.

David Moir/ABC

Where does this girl get her makeup that she can cry that much and still look that annoyingly good?